I then add more unwaxed paper to help cushion the top - I find the copper bows and is never truly flat and this helps push the film down onto the copper

I then turned on the heat press - in the past I already set it so it would go to 170 degrees F it does not take long to heat up (this is a t-shirt press and works great )

and once to temp I pull down the handle and it puts pressure on and it starts to heat up

so I did my multiples at at one with one sheet - no additional cutting

typically I hold for about 3-4 minutes

but my daughter and grandaughter showed up to go swimming so I cut it a bit short

and as I peeled up I noticed not all the pnp stuck

I'll clean these up tonight (pretty easy - just some acetone and wipe off the pnp )- and try again

what I typically do is check and then move/shift the group to a different section of the press in this case to the left as I see the press hits better there and let it heat again and I am sure it will give me 99.9% results

But if you dont try you will never know how to make it better, easier or faster or give you new idea

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Getting Busy - of course I only have 3 weeks to next show and all the things I wanted to make have not happened

Did I make any lampwork beads last weekend - nope - but I built a new table to put my heat press and my mini sandblaster on

needed some new work space if I wanted to make silk screens using the Yudu finally and keep it safe under the table till I need it - or can use it under the table to just expose the screens - very happy now to have it done - just ordering the stainless steel top for it this week - I also put a nice big power bar in that area so I can plug into

Did I finish my bracelets - nope - I only played (see earlier post) with my mini sandblaster I pulled out of storage (I bought it 12 years ago and only used it once ) but now using to clean up the bracelets

Last couple of nights I've gone to the studio - put on the fans (cause its hot hot hot ) and cleaned the bracelets up to prep for liver of sulpher and sealing

got them all clean finally last night and sanded and put on the liver of sulpher - I dont dip I use a q-tip and applied so I would not get on the backs - for easier finishing

once on I rinse in clear running water and then dip in bicarbe and water to stop the reaction and dried - then sanded them with my dremel and split mandrel and sandpaper

I then applied two coats of the permalac sealer (they dried by the time I came around for second coat) and I've left them to dry - Wednesday night I do the backs and sides and they will be finished

Next on the agenda is to make some larger thin bracelets- at least a dozen - have a bunch of small but need the larger size

I've started them by cutting the corners and flattening the metal - I just need to file the corners smoother and clean one side of the metal so I can heat press the pnp blue of my zentangle designs on them for etching. The etching is easy compared to the prep and clean up

I still have some things to clean up in my rework bin

they need cleaning and then I can figure out what to do with them

I do have some washers I made - thinking about a necklace of some sorts

If I have time but I like to lay out stuff to look at while I'm working on something else - sometimes it gives me ideas

Like these - still thinking of the embellishments for the pendant with the dichro center and the oval cut outs - I want glass in the center just cant think if dichro or possibly a lampwork eye

May be this weekend - although I have babysitting chore friday with the grandkids and my grandaughters 12 th birthday on saturday may be dead days for making things

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

I know some people shy away from chemicals because they are afraid of what they can do to you- it took me a while to want to etch because becaue of it -

But there are more caustic materials under our kitchen counter to be more afraid of than the Ferric Chloride

Laundry Bleach for one .......

I came across a great article on the Chemistry of Ferric Chloride - for those of you who are a bit afraid to work with it

Here is a segment from the article

"Since Rembrandt, etchers have used nitric acid and Dutch mordant to etch copper. At the turn of the century ferric chloride solution was introduced in gravure work, principally because of its interaction with gum bichromated gelatine. With the increased emphasis on health and safety at work, we have had to reappraise these and the other chemicals we use.

The salt, ferric chloride, has none of the disadvantages associated with the other two acid etching solutions: it does not produce dangerous fumes, is odourless and, though corrosive, is not absorbed through the skin.

Ferric chloride solutions in water are strong acidic but in their reaction with copper no significant fumes or gases are produced. "

Now the highlighted red area is the most important to everyone - we always worry about fumes and absorption and working with chemicals - if you prevent what could happen even with chemicals they say are safer - you are already ahead of the game

Even though it says non absorbtion on the skin - I always use latex gloves to protect my hands - the stuff stains your hands - makes you look like a 100 pack a day smoker - yellows and darkens your skin. Sometimes its inevitable and I get it on my fingers or hands . I have posted in the past that I sometimes use a dab of the Lysol toilet bowl cleaner (the blue stuff) and it takes it off - this may not be good for some who are more allergic to chemical and are prone to break outs - so this is only a suggestion - you are the one to determine if you can use. (works great on your sink when you stain it with the ferric as well - like new - next time I'll take a before and after pic )

Even though it says does not produce dangerous fumes and is odourless - I still put on my exhaust fan and have more than adequate supply of fresh air flowing through my studio. I wear eye protection when pouring - just in case something fly's up and splashes me - Stay safe - take things slowly and be prepared should you spill any - it stains (again I use the lysol toilet bowl cleaner on my concrete floor and on my stainless tables - works great)

I still have to do the comparison of electro-etching vs the ferric chloride - since I am so happy with the Ferric I have not taken the opportunity to try the electrical version - but that does not mean its not as good. Hopefully in the next month I'll have my comparison for you to see There are some good sites to check out like :http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Electro-Etch-a-Solid-Metal-Plaque/

we are tentativly setting Aug 23 - 25 with friday night as a possible copper etching class , Saturday a couple of enamel metal bead classes and Sunday as a lampwork beginner enamel class
so excited - I'll be putting the info together this week for the wonderful Grace Edwards who owns the Shoppe and we will see how it works out

Also some other great news - I'll be teaching a beginners lampwork at the Creative Craft Festival at the Nortel Booth this year (October 25 - 27) I'll get more info for everyone soon

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Pulled out bracelets I need to clean up and get ready for July show
They originally had the wax sealer on so I am cleaning that off and going to clean up - repatina and seal with the permalac - I noticed that the bracelets I did with the wax darkened and looked awful after months of sitting while those sealed with the permalac look like I just finished them - so the wax is now history

pile to the left is to be reworked - pile on right cleaned - once all done then I'll do the patina and seal

hard to see difference from sunlight shining on but there is

I also looked at making some sample dangles for the round pendants - still not sure what I am doing with them as yet

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Prepping one of the cleaned pieces (same style as earrings ) except this one is going to be a bracelet center
cleaned and punched the holes and dapped
now I just have to decide what will go in the center or if it requires more work

not too bad- smooth edges and reduced in thickness - I'll have to look more into how to mix colors or figure that out but all in all a nice mix of the yellow green and red on the melt - I'll see what I can do now to make up some pendants

I've had this little blaster for years and orginally use it to blast beads

You hook up to a basic compressor and it has a light inside, recycles the blast material internally, has side hand glove access, the front panel opens to place your items in - all self contained - easy set up

Here I take items before blasting

want to take off the wax so I can clean up and redo

take off resist and clean up

take off resist and clean up

I love the light inside

and the self contained and the small footprint of the unit

works very well - I use a small pancake compressor

connect to the foot pedal

and after

Its a flat dull copper finish - so this does away with the chemicals to clean up the resist

I think I"ll work with this some more

Now that its out I'm going to play with it for etching beads and cleaning copper